1. Field of Invention
This invention concerns rotary mowning machines, both riding and walking types, typically employed to cut grass, weeds, brush or other vegetation, wherein, according to the present invention, washing means is provided to power water streams onto the inner walls of the blade shroud to wash away wet, loose vegetation or dirt before it hardens, or to break up and wash away clumps of dried grass or dirt, or other such debris which are typically formed on said inner walls and which typically are very difficult and inconvenient to remove, particulary from heavy riding mowers, the undersides of which are practically inaccessible.
2. Description of Related Art and Objects
Heretofore, washing devices for rotary mowers have been of the type which injects water into the mower blade cavity onto the blade or into the vicinity of the blade whereby the blade is expected to throw the water against the debris and wash it away. It has been found however, that the mower blade essentially atomizes the water and merely wets down much of the debris, especially where the debris has already hardened onto the underside of the cavity deck. Devices of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,936,563; 2,984,061; 2,992,524; 3,040,990; 3,214,893; 3,535,862; and 3,648,446, the disclosures of which concerning general rotary mower structure and wash water inlet mechanisms to the mower blade cavity, useful in practising the present invention, are incorporated herein by reference.
Objects therefore of the present invention are: to provide a washing device for rotary mowers which is easy to use and highly effective in washing away difficult, hard packed mowing debris from the inner walls of the blade shroud; to provide such device for walking or riding mowers; to provide such device, in certain embodiments as modifications of the mower blade itself; and to provide such device which is readily mountable on conventional mowers without any significant structural modification thereof.